Carding and sliver forming mechanism for mixed fibers



June 30,1936. 7 c. HOLDSWORTH 9 GARDING AND SLIVER FORMING MECHANISM FOR MIXED FIBERS Filed March 22, 1953 lnvenTor. I -CHFFord Holdsworih bymwkw ATTys.

Patented June 30, 1936 UNTED STATES CARDING.AND SLIVER FORMING MECHA- NISM FOR MIXED FIBERS Clifiord Holdsworth, Springvale, Maine, assignor to Goodall Worsted Company, Sanford, Maine,

a corporation of Maine Application March 22, 1933 Serial No. 662,118

7. Claims.

In the manufacture of yarn from mohair or other long staple animal fiber, it is desirable and satisfactory to mix therewith a proportion of cotton fiber. But the production of such yarn has hitherto been uneconomical owing to the great waste which takes place due to the diiferent Weights, frictional and other characteristics of the mixed fibers. This wastage occurs particularly during the carding and sliver forming operations.

It is the principal object of the present invention to provide a process and apparatus by means of which a sliver may be economically, efficiently and rapidly produced containing any desired proportions of cotton and. mohair or other similar fiber.

The invention has for its further object to provide for the carding of 'the mixture of fibers without any substantial wastage particularly of the more valuable mohair or other animal fiber content.

The invention has for its further object to provide for the maintenance of the carded mixture of fiber in unbroken and-unsep-arated condition as it is condensed into a sliver anduntil it is delivered into the coiling machine. j

These and. other objects and features of the invention will appear more fully from the accompanying description and drawing and will be particularly pointedout in the claims.

The drawing illustrates more or less diagrammatically the main features of 'a preferred form of apparatus embodying the invention and suitable for carrying out the main steps of the process of the invention in a preferred manner.

In the drawing: 1

Fig. 1 is a side elevation illustrating the main elements of the apparatus.

Fig. 2 ma top plan view of the construction shown in Fig. 1.

Figs. 3 and 4 are perspective views of small sections of the fiber support.

The invention is particularly designed for producing a "sliver composed of a mixture of cotton and mohair fibers but the term mohair as used herein and in the claims is to be understood as including any equivalent animal fiber" such, for

out the invention, the mohair or other similar fiber must first be cut into lengths approximating the length-of staple of the cotton fiber employed. This may readily be done by any suitable means. i

The two. fibers are then mixed together inthe desired proportion with a cotton fiber content as high as 50%. The mixture of the two fibers is effected by any suitable means and maybe placed in the usual hopper of the carding machine and transferred by the usual meansto the beginning of the carding operation.

It will be recognized that the mohair or other similar fiber has very different characteristics from cotton fiber, being relatively heavy and slippery, so that hitherto it has been found im' possible to produce a sliver from such a mixture without great wastage or loss of the mohair fiber during the carding and sliver forming operations.

A carding mechanism for carrying out the process-and for embodying the apparatus of the invention may be of any suitable form sofar as its main features are concerned. The carding apparatus illustrated is shown as comprising a suitable frame I in which is mounted a main g .those skilled in the art, nofurther description is necessary. I

In-the present invention, the fiber, and par- 2.

ticularly the mohair or other similar fibers, which fallout during the carding operation are re,- trieved and re-incorporated into the carded bat during the carding operation so that the proportions of the fibers in the mixture are retained 1 throughout the entire carding operation. This is secured in the preferred form illustrated by providing beneath and in close proximity to the peripheral surface of the main cylinder and pref,- erably also beneath and in close proximity to the lower'rear portion of the peripheral surface of the doifing cylinder a fiber support which acts to support the fibers, falling from the main cylinder' and'preferably also from thedoffer cylinder during'the carding operation, in position to be retrievedandre-incorporated-into the carded bat during the carding operation. This fiber support is preferably in the form of a plate or screen hav- --ing its mainportion 6 beneath the main cylinder and a second portion 1 beneath the doffer cylinder. This screen is. shown as made of metal having transversely extending corrugations 8 and also having perforations 9. Figure 3 represents a small section of the main portion Band Figure 4 a small section of the second portion! of the screen and serve to illustrate the difference in proportion of the corrugations and perforations which preferably exists between these two portions of the fiber supporting screen. In practice corrugations having a depth of one inch and onehalf inch, respectively, for the two portions are found satisfactory. This screen is formed with or carried by and extends between vertical webs I having downwardly projecting slotted lugs II by which it may be accurately adjusted vertically and locked in place by suitable bolts I2 extending into the frame. The screen is brought as close as possible to the surface of the card clothing and in practice a space of three one-hum dredths (.03) inches between the adjacent surfaces of the screen and the surface of the card clothing is found most efilcient. The corrugations and perforations act to collect and effect the separation from the fibers deposited on the screen of any foreign matter such as is commonly associated with the fiber.

After the carded bat is removed by the doffer comb 5, it is condensed into a sliver by any suitable means. For that purpose there is shown a sliver-forming trumpet l3 mounted in a suitable position in front of the dofiing roll by which the bat is gathered into a sliver and from which it passes between the condensing rolls M in the usual manner. In order to prevent rupture of the bat and separation out of the fibers while thus being condensed into a sliver, means are provided for supporting the doffed sheet of carded fiber from beneath. For this purpose there is provided a smooth surface, preferably the metal supporting plate I5 having converging upstandingedges [6 which extends beneath the'bat from the dofiing point to the trumpet.

After the sliver has been formed, it is, as usual, coiled up in a can bya suitable coiling machine. Such a can is shown at H, but 'as the coiling mechanism is well known and familiar, thereis only illustrated the driving shaft [8 therefor and the hole l9 through which the sliver passes to the coiling mechanism and thence intothe can.

The sliver thus formed of the mixture of fibers is relatively heavy and extremely sus-Q ceptible to separation. Consequently as a further feature of the invention provision is made for eliminating danger of separation or breakage of the sliver as it passes from the condensing means into the coiling mechanism. For this purpose the sliver is guided as soon as possible after it leaves the condensing means ,into a substantially vertical path so that a minimum amount of strain and, in fact, only that due to its own weight is placed upon the sliver and at the same time the sliver is positively fed in synchronism with its. formation into the coiling mechanism.

In order to guide the sliver into a vertical path, a guide eye 20 is formed at the end of a bracket 2| suitably mounted as upon the support 22 for the condensing rolls [4 and this guide eye is so positioned by the bracket in front of and above the condensing means that it is directly beneath the mechanism for feeding the sliver into the coiling machine. Thus the sliver passes in an easy natural curve 23 from the condensing rolls to the guide eye 20 and thence extends upward vertically. V

Adjacent the top of the coiling machine is journalled a concavedly grooved feeding roll 24 and this roll is driven by a belt 25 extending from a pulley 26 on the drive shaft l8 to a pulley 21 on the shaft of the feed roll. The outer periphery of the feeding roll 24 is arranged directly above the guide eye 20. The feeding roll is positively driven in synchronism with the formation of the sliver and acts to feed the sliver along, support the sliver and divert it from the vertical path into the aperture IQ of the coiling machine.

The process and the apparatus of this invention enable a sliver composed of a homogeneous mixture of cotton fibers and heavy slippery fibers such as mohair to be economically, rapidly and efficiently manufactured with practical elimination of waste.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is:

l. Carding mechanism for mixed mohair and cotton fiber for preventing the separation from the mixture of the relatively heavier and more slippery fiber and for retaining the predetermined proportions of the mxed fiber comprising a main cylinder provided with card clothing, cooperating carding elements and a perforated screen corrugated transversely of the, main cylin der and located beneath and with the tops of the corrugations in close proximity to the peripheral surface of the card clothing of the main cylinder, the said screen actingto support fibers falling from the main cylinder in position tobe retrieved by said cylinder and reincorporated into the carded bat during the carding operation and the corrugations and the perforations of the screen acting to collect foreign matter commonly associated with the fiber. separate it from the fiber deposited on the screen and discharge it through the perforations.

2. Carding mechanism for mixed mohair and cotton fiber as defined in claim 1 in which the space between the tops of the corrugations of the screen and the peripheral surface of the card clothing of the main cylinder is on the order of 3/100 of an inch. 7

3. Carding mechanism for mixed mohair and cotton fiber for preventing the separation from the mixture of the relatively heavier and more slippery fiber and for retaining the predetermined proportions of the mixed fiber comprising a maincylinder and a dofiing cylinder each provided with card clothing, cooperating carding elements and a perforated screen corrugated transversely of the main and doifer cylinders and located beneath and with the tops of the corrugations in close proximity to the peripheral' surface of the card clothing of the main cylinder and to the peripheral surface of the card clothing of the lower rear portion of the doffing cylinder, the said screen acting to support fibers falling from the main and doffer cylinders in position to be retrieved by said cylinders and reincorporated into the carded bat during the carding operation and the corrugations and the perforations of the screen acting to collect foreign matter commonly associated with the fiber, separate it from the fiber deposited on the screen and discharge it through the perforations.

4, Carding mechanism for mixed mohair and cotton fiber as defined in claim 3, in which the space between the tops of the corrugations of the screen and the peripheral surface of the card clothing of the main cylinder and the doffer cylinder is on the order of 3/100 of an inch.

5, Carding and sliver forming mechanism for mixed mohair and cotton fiber comprising a carding machine having a main cylinder, at

elO

dofiing cylinder and cooperating carding elements, sliver condensing means, a coiling machine, means for supporting the doffed sheet of carded fiber from beneath until it is condensed into a sliver, a guide eye mounted-in front of and above the condensing means for guiding the condensed sliver into a free vertical path, and a positively driven feeding roll mounted at the upper end of said vertical path and adjacent to the entrance of the coiling machine acting to feed the sliver upward from the guide eye free from substantial strain other than that resulting from its own weight and acting to divert the sliver from the said vertical path and to support and feed it into the coiling machine.

6. Carding and sliver forming mechanism for mixed mohair and cotton fiber for preventing the separation from the mixture of the relatively heavier and more slippery fiber and for retaining the predetermined proportions of the mixed fiber comprising a carding machine having a main cylinder and a dofling cylinder each provided with card clothing and cooperating carding elements, sliver condensing means, a coiling machine, a perforated screen corrugated transversely of the main and doffer cylinders and located beneath and with the tops of the corrugations in close proximity to the peripheral surface of the card clothing of the main and doffer cylinders, the said screen acting to support fibers falling from the main and doflfer cylinders in position to be retrieved by said cylinders and reincorporated into the carded bat during the carding operation and the corrugations and perforations of the screen acting to collect foreign matter commonly associated with the fiber and to separate it from the fiber deposited on the screen and discharge it through the perforations, means for supporting the doffed sheet of, carded fiber from beneath until it is condensed into a sliver, means for guiding the condensed sliver into a free vertical path and a positively driven feeding roll mounted at the upper end of said vertical path and adjacent to the entrance of the coiling machine acting to feed the sliver upward free from substantial strain other than that of its own weight and acting to divert the sliver from the said vertical path and to support and feed it into the coiling machine.

7. Carding and sliver forming mechanism for mixed mohair and cotton fiber for preventing the separation from the mixture of the relatively heavier and more slippery fiber and for retaining the predetermined proportions of the mixed fiber comprising a carding machine having a main cylinder provided with card clothing and cooperating carding elements, sliver condensing means, a coiling machine, a perforated screen corrugated transversely of the main cylinder and located beneath and with the tops of the corrugations in close proximity to the peripheral surface of the card clothing of the main cylinder, the said screen acting to support fibers falling from the main cylinder in position to be retrieved by said cylinder and reincorporated into the carded bat during the carding operation and the corrugations and perforations of the screen acting to collect foreign matter commonly associated with the fiber and to separate it from the fiber deposited on the screen and discharge it through theperforations, means for supporting the dofied sheet of carded fiber from beneath until it is condensed into a sliver, means for guiding the condensed sliver into a free vertical path, and means for engaging the sliver at the upper end of said vertical path and feeding it positively free from substantial strain other than that resulting from its own weight and then diverting it from said path into the coiling machine.

CLIFFORD HOLDSWORTH. 

